


The Black Rune

by chanlyeya



Series: Wyrd [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Body Horror, Casual In-Universe Racism, Consent Issues, Dubious Consent, Exploration of MTs, F/M, For Want of a Nail, Friends to Lovers, Harm to Children, Human Experimentation, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, MT!Prompto, Major Character Injury, Mengelesque Experimentations, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Brainwashing, Political Intrigue, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Smuggler!Prompto, Use of Scarification/Cicatrization, Worldbuilding, headcanon heavy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2019-10-13 03:16:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17480189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chanlyeya/pseuds/chanlyeya
Summary: Prompto was loud. Loud in his clothes, with buttons and custom patches sewn in to give the most sombre of uniforms a cheery disposition. Loud in his presence, filling a room as though he were thrice his size, blindingly brilliant in his joy. Loud in his laugh, booming around him, ricocheting off every surface and infecting others with its affliction. Everyone who knew Prompto would agree: the man was loud.But Prompto was also quiet. Quiet in his insecurities, locked up tight in his head to torment him alone. Quiet in his misery, kept hidden from the world to not affect those around him. Quiet in his screams, muffled behind a sunny smile as he died a little inside. Prompto was loud, but in all the ways that mattered, Noct had never met anyone more quiet.Or, an AU in which Prompto didn't escape Niflheim until he was 10 and it's implications.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> A rewrite of an old project of mine I hold dear and hate having never finished. Shoutout to [Bibliobasilisk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bibliobasilisk) for beta'ing, and to [Balentay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Balentay/pseuds/Balentay) for proofreading. 
> 
> You guys are awesome and I love you!

Cor kept an eye on the door as he drank. The coffee was his third in as many hours, and not to his taste. The saccharine flavour clung to his teeth and tongue after every sip, but it was warm, and it served its purpose. Helios was the northwestern-most point of Lucis, and its proximity to the border with Niflheim could be felt in the chill that permeated the air. It was not much warmer indoors; the heater in the coffee shop he found himself in was broken, and it was too much of a hole in the wall to have enough traffic to warm the place, but it provided refuge from the freezing rain. Not that he minded the cold itself; it gave him the perfect excuse to remain bundled up—hat pulled down, nose tucked into his collar, Cor showed as little of himself as he could.

He had been in Insomnia just a week ago, training the new Crownsguard recruits at the Marshal’s orders. It was warm there, amid a brisk spring. Cor would have given anything to be back home, where three layers were not needed to combat the cold, but if his king needed him here, this is where he’ll be.

It would be nice if his contact would show up.

When His Royal Majesty had called him to his office for a private word, Cor had assumed it was another one of his attempts at playing the surrogate father. He had been dealing with that for the past decade already and was prepared to combat any suggestion of a holiday when a file had been placed in his hands.

“This file contains correspondence from a Niflheim scientist claiming to have information,” he had explained. Cor opened the file to find a few letters, written in a messy Gralean scrawl he couldn’t quite decipher. Below them, he had found the same letters translated and printed in neat Lucian. He read what he could to get an idea of the subject of the correspondence.

“We don’t have much to go on,” His Majesty said once Cor had finished. “Not a name, nor face, nor any sort of guarantee that this is legitimate. Nothing but a designated time and place for a meetup. I wouldn’t even bother, but…”

The king hadn’t finished his sentence, but he hadn’t needed to. “Project Deathless,” Cor read aloud.

Project Deathless was the Empire’s best-kept secret, and it was guarded more doggedly than the Emperor himself. Whatever they were working on, the Emperor was pouring a significant amount of resources into it, and that was the only reason they even knew of its existence. None of their spies had gotten a glimpse of what they were working on, but judging by the Empire’s ever-increasing militarized state,  it was safe to assume that it was a weapon. If this correspondent had insight into Project Deathless, it was not a lead they could afford to let pass.

The king nodded. “Cor,” he had said, “I can’t trust anyone else with this mission. I need you to meet with them. Determine whether what they say holds any weight.

“And Cor,” the king had looked him in the eye, for once not a hint of mirth residing within his eyes, “whatever actions you take, I’ll take full responsibility. Choose carefully.”

His king’s parting words had remained at the forefront of his mind since he had left Insomnia, but now, seated in a cafe with no one’s company but an exhausted barista, Cor was beginning to wonder whether this correspondent would show.

As though summoned by his thoughts, the door chimed with the arrival of a new patron; a figure hidden almost entirely from view underneath a large fur-lined cloak, hood drooping low enough to cover all but their mouth. Cor watched as they approached the counter and placed an order in soft-spoken Gralean. They looked relaxed as they awaited their drink—shoulders holding none of the tension Cor would expect from their mysterious informant—but something told him they were the one he awaited.

He knew for certain when he felt their eyes on him, and sure enough, drink in hand, they made their way to him with purpose.

“Wasn’t expecting the Wonder Kid to be the one to show up,” they said as they took the seat across from him. Comfortably in place, they pulled back their hood and met his gaze. “A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Leonis. I’m Indicia.”

Hood no longer obscuring their face, the first thing he noted was her eyes; they were striking and attention-grabbing. They were distracting enough he took a minute to process what she showed him.

“You’re a child,” he hissed.

Indicia rolled her eyes. “I’m sixteen. I stopped being a child three years ago.”

“Not in Lucis.”

“Good thing I’m not Lucian then.” She reached into her cloak and pulled out a manila folder, which she then placed in front of him. “This is what I was talking about.”

He took the folder in hand. There was a classified rune marked on its front, which was already unlocked, and below that was a number: _05953234_. Flipping it over, he found nothing else on its cover. Opening it, the first thing he found was a detailed picture of one of the MTs that helped take over Tenebrae. Notes were written in the margins, pointing to specific parts of the MT, but it was all in Gralean and Cor couldn’t make heads or tails.

“We’ve already fought these,” he said. “They’re a pain, but no match for the Wall.”

Indicia scoffed. “You’ve fought early prototypes. Tell me this, Leonis; do you know how an MT is made?” Cor didn’t bother giving an answer, and Indicia didn’t wait for one. “They start off as human, and then they’re saturated in ichor until the Scourge becomes as natural to them as their own blood. They’re opened up and altered, replacing their failing organs with mechanical parts that serve the same purpose. It’s a delicate balance of machine and human, marinated in a cocktail of drugs and ichor, then baked into a weapon through intense training and conditioning. It’s mostly a case of trial and error, but even we have our masterpieces.”

She flipped through the file’s pages until she found what she was looking for, then gave it back to him. It was a picture of a boy, no older than ten, holding a gun in each hand. He was bare except for a pair of loose capris, and his body held more muscle definition than what was proper for a prepubescent boy. He stared straight ahead, expression blank.

“059,” Indicia said, flipping the page over to show another image, this time of the boy in combat. “It’s our magnum opus. Only gets what’s proven to work, and it’s the best of the best. Near perfect accuracy, accelerated healing, and we even managed to squeeze some magic in there. It’s just a child now, but leave him in the Empire’s hands, and you won’t live long enough to regret your decision.”

Cor flipped through the pages, finding image after image of the MT in battle with different opponents: fighting another MT, killing an imp, shooting a goblin, taking out a glammoth. There were pages, charts, graphs; all of them sure to be detailed documentation on its abilities though it was all in Gralean. Cor didn’t need to be able to read it though to understand, and the dread pooled in his gut.

“How do you propose we stop it?”

Indicia sent him a wicked smile as she took the dossier back out of his hands. “What do you do with any weapon of mass destruction? You dismantle it.”


	2. Departure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every trip starts somewhere. Theirs starts here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello, I come bearing gifts (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ✧
> 
> Aside from the new chapter itself, I also have a schedule to share with all of yous so you know when you can anticipate the next chapter! BR should be updated bimonthly, on the 21st of each month. I would’ve loved to have started this announcement by following the schedule, but unfortunately life was hectic, including two hospitalisations, one wedding and a court case, in the family. So...yeah, I didn’t get much writing done for a few months.
> 
> The bimonthly planned updates will (theoretically) give me time to get ahead, so that the next time something like this happens (which it will, it always does with my family) I’ll have something to put out. It also gives me time to work on personal projects.
> 
> Anyways, this chapter has been proofread by [Bal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Balentay/pseuds/Balentay). [Bibi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bibliobasilisk) has not yet beta’ed the chapter as she’s been busy, but I’m too impatient so here’s the unbeta’ed version for now and I’ll update it when she gets back to me (◡‿◡✿)

His father had once said that everyone looked good in black, and that was why it was made the royal colour. A means to guarantee that one looked sharp no matter their pallor while hiding their avoidance for any particular colour. Noctis had no idea if there was any truth in that statement, but it mattered little.

Noctis hated whatever genius decided black should be their colour. Clearly, they had never tried to push a car through the desert at high noon wearing it. Already he had done away with his jacket, tucked away safely in the Armiger, and he had half a mind to tuck himself away—lack of oxygen aside, it would probably be a vast improvement.

“Seriously, just how far is this place?”

“Less bitching, more pushing.”

“Come on big guy, you've got all that muscle. You don't need me to help.”

“Prompto, I swear, if you so much as lift a finger!”

It was amazing, Noctis thought, how those two could still talk so easily despite the labour. They were on the same number of breaks as he, the last one being five minutes ago, and yet Noctis was the only one unable to keep up the banter. It was humbling, though he knew it shouldn't be: Gladio was his Shield, training since he was old enough to walk, and Prompto was a distance runner. Stamina was their thing, but even knowing that didn’t make him feel any less wanting.

More than that, it was amazing how natural their banter felt, as though they had been doing it for years. It was easy to forget that the two just met yesterday. Gladio had always been good with people, being able to connect to them so naturally, it left him reeling, but he had expected a bit more hesitance on Prompto’s part. Prompto had been quite against meeting the other after all, not to mention the weeks at the beginning of their own friendship spent trying to find a foothold.

Gladio growled, and suddenly his weight gave way from behind them. Noctis looked up just in time to see Prompto had lifted his pinkie finger before he was off running, Gladio chasing after him. Since they weren’t going anywhere, Noctis let go of the car and used the impromptu break to catch his breath and stretch his back. Ignis watched him all the while.

“Noct, how’s your back?” he asked.

The reminder made him grimace. The Regalia was less than kind to his aching muscles, and nothing bore the brunt of it more than his back. His scar seemed to tighten with every push of the car, and he could feel the pull of every muscle in the fire below it.

In truth, the pain was not much worse than his usual, but the question Ignis posed presented an opportunity. He needn't even play up the pain much—the mere suggestion of it bothering him would be enough for Ignis to demand they switch, and disallow any further rotations. Ignis, in his zealousness to ease his pain, would give Noctis exactly what he wanted without him needed to use his position as prince. Noctis could even play up his reluctance, let it be known to the others the only reason for the preferential treatment was because Ignis demanded it, rather than him desiring it. For a brief moment, he considered doing just that.

“It's fine,” he said instead. The thought nagged at the back of his mind for a while longer, but it was quickly drowned out by Prompto’s screams and laughter. It seemed that Gladio had finally caught him, and was carrying him back thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Ignis watched with a shake of his head, and Noctis mirrored his exasperation. Those two had too much energy if they could fool around like that.

“Right then,” Ignis said once they rejoined, “now that we've all had an extra break I think we should get back to pushing the Regalia?”  
Gladio put Prompto down. “On the bright side,” he said, “thanks to blondie’s little detour we know we're not much further. You can see the garage just beyond the canyon.”

Noctis groaned, but perched himself beside the car once more, and pushed. Luckily, Gladio hadn't been exaggerating and they arrived in Hammerhead shortly, but it didn't provide the respite Noctis had been hoping for. They had barely caught their breaths before they were sent off in search of monsters to kill and gil to earn. Apparently, Cid has charged them enough to leave them flat out broke and Cindy had only loaned them enough for a couple of nights, so Ignis had grabbed a few more hunts on their way out and off they went.

The hunting itself was surprisingly fun. It was the first time Noctis had made use of his training outside of sparring with Gladio and it was exhilarating. The blood and adrenaline pumping through him were quick to lift his mood and he couldn't help preening just the slightest bit when Prompto started singing his praises. Warping from one target to the next, he would rush ahead and deal with most of the varmints before his entourage joined and dispatched of the rest, though he may have overdone it as he found himself dry heaving from stasis every now and again.

The _hunting_ was fun, but the trek through the desert was less so. While infinitely better without a car to push, the sun was still high and scorching, burning into the black of his clothes and against his skin. In between fights, lacking the adrenaline to push him forward, he found his mood dropping and he wasn't shy in voicing his grievances. By the time the sun started to set, he was exhausted and begging Ignis to call it a day, Prompto often joining in.

Of course, with the threat of demons, travelling at night was ill-advised, so Ignis finally gave into his and Prompto’s whining and booked a trailer. Prompto had been ecstatic and looked at everything with the same fascination he reserved for the Citadel, as though the dingy trailer was it's equal. It was a bit much, even for Noctis, so he left him in the capable hands of his Shield and advisor and took a seat outside in one of the lawn chairs. He was just about to start up King’s Knight when Cindy wandered over.

“Hey there,” she said, taking a seat opposite him. Despite the chill that permeated the air, she hadn't bothered changing. Proper decorum would have him offering her his jacket, and he was about to do so when she stopped him. “I’m warm enough, thanks. ‘Sides, I came to apologize for paw-paw, not steal your jacket. Don't want you leavin’ here thinkin’ we make a habit of abusing royalty.”

“Oh.” It was true the old man’s exorbitant prices were the reason they were stuck taking care of varmints, he was doing them a favour by accepting Crowns. They likely would've had to do some hunts anyways, seeing as none of them had even heard of a gil before today. “You should do it more often, six knows you're probably the only ones who could get away with it.”

There was a lull in their conversation as they both registered what he said, and as soon as they did, Cindy burst out laughing. Noctis felt his cheeks redden. “That…did not come out right. I mean, well, dad spoke of Cid like a friend and I just meant, you know, Prompto’s always doing the same so I figured it was likely the same.” He buried his face in his hands when her laughter failed to lessen. “Please stop laughing…”

To her credit, her laughter subsided shortly afterwards. She pushed the few strands of hair that got in her face behind her ear and sent him a smile that looked more genuine than her customer service one. “Ya know,” she said, “you're a lot more friendly than I figured. Ya always look so stiff and distant in them tabloids.”

“Yeah, well, now you know I'm actually just stiff and awkward.”

She gave a chuckle, and looked about to say something when Ignis arrived from inside the trailer.

“Miss Aurum,” he greeted.

“Cindy, please. I ain't no miss.”

“As you wish.” Ignis adjusted his glasses. “I was just about to start cooking, will you be staying for sup?”

Prompto stuck his head out the window and sent them a winning smile. “You gotta! Iggy’s food’s the best. Even His Royal Pickiness here loves it; it would be a tragedy to miss out.”

Gladio could be heard scoffing behind him. “Right, cause that's the only reason you want her to stay.”

Prompto’s head immediately disappeared back into the trailer with a long drawn out “dude”, at which Gladio laughed. Ignis shock his head and Noctis couldn't help reflecting it. Cindy simply watched on in amusement.

“Alternative motives aside, Spec’s food really is good. Whaddya say?”

Cindy caught his eye and winked. “Well, it's not every day a gal gets invited to eat with a prince. Sure, it's been a while since I ate with someone other than paw-paw. I'll just go let him know.”

She sent them a smile before heading back to the garage. Noctis reciprocated, before turning back to his phone and properly starting up King's Knight. All in all, the day may have not started off glamorously, it was a good one.

He wouldn't mind if their road trip ended up lasting beyond Galdin Quay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you’ve read the original, you’ll notice I skipped a lot of what I wrote there. Ultimately, I find that it was unnecessary backstory, so I didn’t include it, but it all remains the same. For those who haven’t read it, tldr; Prompto is new to crownsguard, officially sworn only a couple of days before they left, only met Gladio the day before, and Noct hasn't seen Prompto for nearly six months prior to the trip as Cor was busy training him one-on-one.
> 
> Since Cindy is going to be a rather important character, I wanted to give her a bit more of an introduction than what I gave her in the original. I also wanted to skip through most of the stuff you play in game since I didn't want to simply transcribe everything


	3. The Bloodhorn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cindy has a request which leads to an unexpected and worrying discovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: *sets up a schedule so you all know when you can expect an update*
> 
> Also me: *misses the very first scheduled update by a _month_ * Oooooops?
> 
> Last month was probably like the busiest month I’ve had in forever, and it’s all my brother’s fault. Who gave him the right to get married, even _if_ my new sister-in-law and her family are all wonderful people???
> 
> I’m happy for him, but preparations were exhausting enough I almost want to say no to any marriage for myself, and I wasn’t even in the wedding party! (Thank god)
> 
> Anyways, this chapter was beta’ed by the loverly bibi, so enjoy!

The sun had just risen and Gladio was determined to have them rise with it. The trailer was small, just large enough for the kitchenette and two pairs of cots, leaving Noctis with no reprieve from the noise made by his Shield. Each individual movement was felt as the beast of a man made his way through the trailer, shaking the whole thing when he finally left. Noctis turned on his side and drifted back to sleep.

Ignis was the next one to wake him and Noctis groaned because he  _ knew _ there would be no getting back to sleep this time. He felt the Armiger being accessed as Ignis summoned whatever he needed to get started on breakfast. Noctis laid on his back and glared at the bunk above him, daring Prompto to wake and add to the racket. The bunk stayed conspicuously silent, even after Noctis kicked it, because if he couldn’t sleep in, neither could Prompto.

Nothing. Noctis stood up and checked the bunk just to be sure, and—yup, it was empty. He wondered when—and how—Prompto managed to leave without making a sound and why the other two couldn’t be bothered to do the same.

“Hey Specs”—he was cut off by a yawn—“Where’s Prompto?”

“Good morning, Your Highness,” Ignis greeted, not bothering to look up from whatever he was doing. “He and Gladio went out for an early morning run I believe.”

Noctis grimaced. None of that sounded particularly pleasant, but as long as they didn’t try to force him to join, he guessed it was fine, though he might ask Gladio to try and be a bit quieter next time they left.

Actually, maybe it was better if he didn’t say anything. Gladio was more likely to be  _ louder _ if he complained.

“When’s breakfast?” He asked as he peered over Ignis’ shoulder to see what he was making.

“Half an hour,” he said. “That should give you more than anything time to wake up and get  _ dressed _ , so I expect to see you out of your night clothes by then.”

Noctis rolled his eyes but left the trailer with the intent to do just that. Takka’s was open, thankfully, so he head that way to just the washroom rather than deal with the outhouses. There wasn’t a shower he could use, but he could still wash his face and brush his teeth. He sent Takka a wave as he entered before setting about doing  _ most _ of his morning routine.

Prompto and Gladio were back by the time he finished. Despite being in the desert, Prompto was dressed in compression leggings and a loose-fitting wifebeater that clung to his back with sweat. Gladio was more appropriately dressed in gym shorts, though he forewent the shirt. He too was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

“You know there’s no showers, right?” he said by way of greeting.

Prompto laughed at his curled lip. “Does that mean I won’t get a hug, buddy?”

Noctis pushed him away when he approached, arms outstretched, though he doubted Prompto would actually hug him. He knew he wasn’t a fan of sweat, even less so when it wasn’t his own.

“Anyways, it’s good you’re here,” Prompto said. “Cindy’s got a favour to ask you.”

Noctis looked beyond him. Cindy sat in one of the chairs by the trailer, phone in hand, a worried crease between her brow. Nodding Prompto off, he made his way over and she relaxed upon seeing him.

“Morning, Prince,” she said.

“Good morning, Cindy,” he greeted. “Prompto said you needed a favour?”

She pursed her lips. “Right.” She took a moment to breathe in deeply. “There’s this fella, name’s Dave. Good man.”

He nodded, encouraging her to continue.

“He was on a job the day before yesterday—he’s a hunter, see—but he hasn’t returned. Taking an extra day to finish a job ain’t too unusual ‘round these parts, but he didn’t return last night and isn’t answering my calls.” Her eyes creased as she looked towards the garage. “I would go and check up on him myself, but the ol’ girl still needs some tuning up, and, well...”

Noctis gave her a smile. “Don’t worry,” he said. “We’ll find him.”

  
  


Finding Dave wasn’t too difficult. They ended up back where they were yesterday, though thankfully without any  _ ornery varmints _ slowing them down. It didn’t take long to spot the shack Cindy suggested he might have spent the night, though their first guess had been wrong and they got ambushed by sabertusks. After a brief battle— _ Prompto helping him up with one hand as he aimed at Gladio, almost casually, and shot a sabertusk off him _ —they met with the man himself.

“The famous Dave, I take it?” Gladio asked the man who limped out to meet them.

“That would be me,” he said. “Thanks for the save. Twisted my ankle fighting the bloodhorn, and ran out of potions. Thought I was going to be bunkered down ‘til I could walk again.”

“Bloodhorn?” Ignis asked.

“Aye,” Dave said. “Mutated dualhorn, nasty thing. I was sent to take care of it, but…” He gave them a once-over. “You folks look capable enough. Hate pushing a job on ya, but can’t leave that monster roaming. It’s only a matter of time before it finds its way to another settlement.”

Noctis looked to the other guys for their opinion, but Ignis mistook that as hesitation and answered for him.

“We’ll be more than happy to help,” he said, giving Noctis a look that promised a lecture once they were out of Dave’s hearing. “Just point us in the direction.”

“Managed to herd him into that canyon, just yonder.” He pointed eastwards. “Good luck.”

“Noct,” Ignis hissed, as they watched Dave limp off. “It is your duty as Crown Prince to look after all citizens of Lucis, not just Insomnia, and that—”

Noctis cut him off. “Can it, Specs,” he said. “I know. I was going to accept, just wanted to make sure everyone was okay with it.”

Ignis scrutinized him. Noctis looked behind him for some help, but Gladio and Prompto were suddenly too absorbed in their phones to even bother looking his way.

“I’ll take your word for it,” Ignis said, and left it at that.

With Ignis’ lecture aborted, they made their way to the canyon where Dave had pointed them, and sure enough, they found what could only be the “bloodhorn”. When Dave had said it was mutated, Noct thought he meant that the horns were red, not that the dualhorn would be thrice the size of its kin. 

Prompto has been the first to spot it, grazing in the canyon. Noctis had almost made the mistake of approaching it, but Gladio stopped him. The beast looked docile enough, even without the two large that looked like it could skewer them in half. That all changed when it took notice of them, however. It spotted them almost as quickly as Prompto spotted it and, without even bothering to size them up, it charged them down.

It wasn’t his first fight. Noctis had been training for combat since the ripe age of six. Back in Insomnia, he used to spar once a week against Crownsguard members, with Cor and Gladio joining in, when they weren’t busy berating his technique. He knew how to handle practically any weapon, and he felt at ease with each in hand as he switched them out at will. Yesterday they had spent the entire latter half of the day hunting down Cid’s  _ ornery varmints _ and hadn’t broken a sweat. Theoretically, he should have been more than prepared to take on a dualhorn, giant though it may be.

Theories didn’t always hold up in practice.

The beast was large and resilient, merely stumbling when Gladio cut its legs with his broadsword. It ignored the slicing of its skin by Ignis’ knives. It roared and thrashed when Prompto nicked it in the eye, but refused to go down. Even Noctis’ warp strikes could only pierce through so much flesh and sinew that just made the dualhorn angrier. 

They won in the end, though it wasn’t a decisive strike which felled the beast like he had been taught in training. Rather, it was a collective of cuts and shots that chipped away at its defences that left him exhausted. He sent his lance back to the Armiger and dropped down, having warped away to catch his breath just before the last strike killed it. Gladio and Prompto were currently arguing over who delivered said strike.

Ignoring them, he approached Ignis, who examined the body rather intently.

“What’s wrong, Specs?”

Ignis looked away for the first time to catch his eye. “This mutation worries me,” he said. “Dave seemed a seasoned hunter, and we’re certainly no slouch, yet even we had difficulty bringing it down.” He put a hand on the body. “If this weren’t a one-time occurrence, I fear for—“

He stopped abruptly, and for a moment, Noctis didn’t see why. Then he caught the bubbling of the skin and watched, stunned, as the carcass melted into a black  _ goop _ that soaked the ground before disappearing. Even Prompto and Gladio had stopped their petty squabbling to stare.

They remained silent for a good while before Gladio broke it, speaking what was on all their minds:

“What the fuck was that?”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can’t remember if it was confirmed or not, but if not, the Bloodhorn has the Scourge. Just saying. No way it didn’t. 
> 
> Anyways, I’ll be sure to be on time next time, so expect an update Nov 21st! See you then!

**Author's Note:**

> If you're thinking "hey, this looks familiar" then hi! Sorry I disappeared for two years! BR never left my mind, and finally, after two years, I managed to drag myself back into working on it. However, due to it having been so long I decided a rewrite was in order because a) we have more canon lore I can use and b) my writing has changed and ~~hopefully~~ improved. 
> 
>  
> 
> [Have a look at the difference two years makes!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9315458/chapters/21114089)


End file.
